Problem with the video slot? (Solved)

[Tigger]

Ross1 wrote:

The Amiga boots up with no issues and the display on the RGB out is solid and all icons are present. I see a distorted black video image on the program monitor and when i boot up the toaster software the program screen goes all nuts but the switcher screen does load but no images (bars and toaster logo load up into the frame buffers. I'm running Version 4.3 with the millennium package installed. I have even done a reinstall of the software.

Ok, this is on a A4000 so we have possible short of the toaster to the memory, though that shouldnt be the issue.  Power supply is probably still the likeliest problem.  You have verified that NTSC is your monitor selected correct (or 1084) because that will definitely cause the issue you are talking about.  Check preview out as well as program out, to be sure both have the problem, also does the toaster software change from one input to another?    Run a camera is you have one live into input 1 and see if you can see it.   Try an effect to see if that appears on your program screen or just on the amiga screen.  Do verify that the A4000 batter if its still present isnt leaking onto the motherboard.   You can get the toaster fixed for the price of shipping these days if its broken, but with two of them showing the same symptoms, I just dont think thats likely.    
   -Tig

[Ross1]

Thanks rkauer and Tig for your input so far.

@ rkauer, The Toaster card is fine as it works in my second A4000 system. I had Newtek look at it just last month and they sent it back saying that they replaced the main board. But it is still doing the same thing.

@ Tig, When you say a short of the Toaster to the memory are you saying the Amigas system ram? should I place some sort of plastic sheet between the back of the toaster card and the ram?
The system battery was removed several years ago and in its place I have a rechargeable Ni metal hydrate coin battery. Could this be a problem?

The video that I have connected directly to the vidoe input 1 is barely visible due to the garbled image (like its out of sync) it shows and sometimes not at all on both the program and preview but yes I can switch between inputs as there is a change on the program and preview monitors when I do a cut and transitions do show on the amiga monitor but because the toaster is out of sync they do not show up properly on the program out.
When the Toaster was working I would get a nice clean black screen on the program monitor when I first boot it up or after a soft reset it would pass through the video on input 1 nice and clean. but now its a very fussy black screen or the distorted and usually a black and white image with a tinge of green showing on program. ALso when I exit out of the Toaster software the workbench screen is suposed to show on the program output but instead I get a very distorted jittery immage of the workbench or just black fuzz.

[Tigger]

@ Tig, When you say a short of the Toaster to the memory are you saying the Amigas system ram? should I place some sort of plastic sheet between the back of the toaster card and the ram?

In the past I have done that on some systems, some memory is taller then others and theoretically that could be the problem.

The system battery was removed several years ago and in its place I have a rechargeable Ni metal hydrate coin battery. Could this be a problem?

No, that should be no problem.

The video that I have connected directly to the vidoe input 1 is barely visible due to the garbled image (like its out of sync) it shows and sometimes not at all on both the program and preview but yes I can switch between inputs as there is a change on the program and preview monitors when I do a cut and transitions do show on the amiga monitor but because the toaster is out of sync they do not show up properly on the program out.

We were doing that to be sure that the toaster software was booting correctly, etc, since its switching video (out of sync video, but video none the less, and doing effects, 4.3 is up and running correctly.    

When the Toaster was working I would get a nice clean black screen on the program monitor when I first boot it up or after a soft reset it would pass through the video on input 1 nice and clean. but now its a very fussy black screen or the distorted and usually a black and white image with a tinge of green showing on program. ALso when I exit out of the Toaster software the workbench screen is suposed to show on the program output but instead I get a very distorted jittery immage of the workbench or just black fuzz.

I hate to suggest this, but since you have a second 4000, why dont you plug its power supply into the other board, and verify whether its the power supply.  The other thing you might want to check is the riser card, verify that it doesnt make a difference which one is in the system.  If you 4000 has socketed parts (at least one of the ones I owned did, you might want to be sure they are seated well.   I've probably got an A4000 desktop power supply around the house I could be talked out of for a few bucks if you want to go back to that as well.
     -Tig
     

[Ross1]

Thanks Tig,

I will be trying the old A4000 Power supply that I still have around tonight. I just dont like using it because I have a Cyberstorm PPC and a SCSI 9gig drive as my system drive so they draw a far bit of juice and I dont want to over drive the A4000 power supply. I already tried swaping the riser board from my other one and the same problem is there.

Given all the knowledge you seem to have do you or did you work for Newtek at one point?

[Tigger]

I wrote Audio Blackbox, Promix Tools, RenderFX, and several other toaster packages including a big chunk of Millenium. SO as one of the leading 3rd party guys for Newtek, I know quite a bit about the Toaster and Flyer.
     -Tig
 

[Ross1]

Thats great that you did allot of the work on that software, Millennium is a great package. I'm glad I am part of this community its proven to be a great help so far. :-)
If this power supply test dosent solve it I'm going to try swaping the A4000 MB (not an easy task) I have one of my systems in a Tower (the one I am having troubles with) to give better cooling and thats the one I use the most.

[Ross1]

Well, I tried the original A4000 PSU and low and behold it worked
It appears that the ATX to amiga PSU adapter is possably not wired properly. I bought it from Amigakit, It seems to work properly with the Amiga its self but not with the Toaster???
Tig, do you have any ideas why this would happen? could it be a bad ATX PSU? Or the wires hooked up to the wrong pins on the ATX side?
Anybody using an ATX power supply with a Toaster that does work?

[Tigger]

It is possible to use a non A4000 power supply, is your adapted correctly, I have no idea, I might be able to get to the microtronix A4000 tower and look at its power supply and see if I can give you some more info.  I guess I need to look at the A4000 power connector and see what could be causing issues for the toaster and yet allow the computer to run fine.
    -Tig

[Ross1]

If you could look at what pins are connected to what that would be great. I'm thinking of building my own adapter. I have the Amiga 6 pin end I just need to either cut off the end of an ATX PSU and hard wire it directly to the wires or get another ATX 20 pin connector but I am thinking it would be better to hardwire it so there are less connections that can go wrong.

[Ross1]

Hi Tig and everyone else who helped me in this thread,

I found a wiring diagram on the net for the Amiga PSU and rewired the new ATX power supply that I bought yesterday and my system works like a charm :-)
One question I have is are the wires coming from the ATX PSU heavy gauge enough to drive the Toaster cards and Cyberstorm etc? They are only 18g wire where the A4000 PSU uses 16 and 14g wire. Can a person double (tie two together) up on the ATX wires as there are several +5v, and +12v wires that come out of the PSU or will I short it out.

[Framiga]

One question I have is are the wires coming from the ATX PSU heavy gauge enough to drive the Toaster cards and Cyberstorm etc?

unfortunately nope.

Too thin for a overloaded system as yours (and mine also)

I've purchased some Amp (well actually are tyco Electonics) 6 ways "Mate-N Lok" series connectors (code  1-480704) to achieve a more stable power conection with ATX PSUs.

RS-Components code- 848-874

Male pins sold separately.

[Ross1]

Thanks for the answer Framiga,

I actualy cut off the ATX connector and simply soldered the wires needed to the A4000 connector wires that I cut off the Amiga 4000d power sup. that I had (it was shot and no good anyhow so now I only have one spare for testing) and then heat shrinked the exposed ends. That will make sure that I have a good connection.

[Framiga]

yep its a good option too :-) (less "elegant" but it works as aspected)